The devastating effect upon the population at large caused by the HIV virus is widely acknowledged and various attempts ranging from education to incarceration of carriers have been made to stem the spread of the virus. Contact with contaminated blood is an acknowledged vehicle for transfer of the virus and one specific form of such transfer is the sharing of syringes by intravenous drug users. The present invention seeks to reduce the likelihood of the transfer of the HIV virus by providing a tamper-proof container for soiled syringes thereby reducing the number of soiled syringes that are inappropriately disposed of in the community and to encourage intravenous drug users not to share syringes. Although the invention is described in this context it is to be understood to have wider application and is in fact appropriate for retaining any soiled syringe.
In recognition of the above, the applicant has developed the present invention and it is envisaged that containers filled with sterile syringes will be made available free of charge or for a nominal charge to intravenous drug users through pharmacies or the like. It is then intended that the drug user will use a sterile syringe from the container for each injection and after use return the soiled syringe to be retained within the tamper-proof container. When all sterile syringes have been used and returned to the container, the container is returned to a pharmacy or the like and effectively swapped for a further container containing sterile syringes. Arrangements are then to be put in place for the safe disposal of the containers containing the soiled syringes. Typically this would involve collection of returned containers and their incineration along with other commonly incinerated medical refuse.
It can therefore be seen that if used in the manner envisaged, the present invention should reduce the spread of the HIV virus by reducing the chance of members of the public accidentally contacting a soiled syringe which has been inappropriately disposed of in a public area and should encourage intravenous drug users not to share needles.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are presently being used in the Australian state of New South Wales and are referred to as "Fitpacks". The use of Fitpacks in other Australian states is planned for the near future.
Prior to the advent of the present invention, the New South Wales State Government had established thirty Needle and Syringe Exchange Programmes (NSEPs) which between them operated from approximately eighty outlets. These outlets varied from a dedicated fixed location such as one service offered by a sexually transmitted diseases clinic to outreach services including needle and syringe distribution from vehicles in public areas.
In addition to the established NSEPs, arrangements have been made with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to distribute and exchange Fitpacks. There are presently over 400 pharmacies throughout New South Wales dispensing Fitpacks. The Fitpacks are dispensed and exchanged free of charge from NSEPs and exchanged free of charge on an old for new exchange basis from pharmacies. In the absence of a used Fitpack for exchange, new Fitpacks can be purchased from pharmacies for A$3.00. The New South Wales State Government therefore bears the brunt of the costs associated with the programme but this is viewed as being desirable when the object of the programme is taken into consideration.
NSEPs order empty Fitpacks directly from the manufacturer whilst arrangements have been made for the pharmacies to obtain empty Fitpacks from their regular wholesalers. Needles and syringes are obtained independently and the empty Fitpacks are filled with needles and syringes at the various points of distribution by NSEP workers and pharmacists.
Individual arrangements have been made with each NSEP and pharmacy for the safe disposal of used Fitpacks under established clinical waste guidelines. The disposal involves incineration above 1100.degree. C. and it is noted that the preferred embodiments of the invention presently used are manufactured from polypropylene which does not create environmental hazards upon incineration.
No quantitative data is available to date for the return rate of used Fitpacks but the qualitative observation has been that the rate of return has exceeded 65% which was the figure prior to the introduction of the Fitpack programme.